- Global Passport Index
- Last Updated: October 13, 2025
Global Passport Index: Methodology
Introduction
In today’s increasingly globalized world, people are looking to invest beyond their borders and obtain second citizenship or residency abroad. But how to pick the right country?
To help answer this question, several global passport rankings have been developed over the years, enabling individuals to understand how easily a passport can facilitate travel abroad with little to no visa restrictions. Yet, besides facilitating travel, there are also other, just as important benefits to acquiring a second passport, which Global Citizen Solution’s Passport Index Project seeks to address.
Global Passport Index
Global Citizen Solutions developed its own version of the Global Passport Index, devising a new methodology to measure the overall attractiveness of each country for relocation, investment, or dual citizenship purposes. Going beyond just analyzing the mobility score of a passport, we designed a quantitative tool offering individuals a comprehensive overview of mobility and country attractiveness across three standalone indexes: Enhanced Mobility Index, Investment Index, and Quality of Living Index. Each index enables users to filter results for individual country rankings.
Quantitative data was analyzed like composite indicators used by various international institutions and multilateral organizations such as The World Bank, the World Economic Forum and the Sustainable Development Report.
Enhanced Mobility Index
With the Enhanced Mobility Index, we went beyond just counting the number of countries or territories a passport provides immediate access to (from unlimited visa-free access to restricted travel). We also gave scores to each country or territory considered as a ‘desirable’ destination.
The Enhanced Mobility Index is the first of the three indexes, carrying the most weight with 50% of the composite score.
Visa Requirement types and respective weights
VISAS | WEIGHT |
|---|---|
 Visa-Free Access | 1.0 |
 Visa-Free Access (Limited Days) | 1.0 |
 Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) | 0.9 |
 On-arrival Visa | 0.9 |
 Electronic Visa | 0.5 |
 Visa Required | 0.00 |
 Refused Entry | -1.0 |
Enhanced Mobility Index Score Formula
Adopted Lower Limits and Weights for Determining Destination Based Quality of Life Index Tiers
Quality Of Life Index Tiers | LOWER LIMIT SCORE | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
1 | 68.5 | 1.0 |
2 | 60.1 | 1.0 |
3 | 49.3 | 0.9 |
4 | N/A | 0.9 |
To assess each destination, we used four weights based on our Quality of Living Index. Intuitively, if a country is desirable to live in, it should also be considered desirable as a destination.
So while visa-free access to a country with a high standard of living is given one entire point in our score system, the same visa-free access provides only ⅓ of a point if access is offered to a politically unstable territory.
Investment index
The Investment Index provides a general assessment of a country’s economy so that individuals seeking citizenship by investment abroad can acquire a comprehensive overview of a country’s investment opportunities. The following indicators were used to determine a country’s economic score within the index: the overall competitiveness and business environment, the economy’s strength, and level of personal taxation.
To assess a country’s business environment, six pillars from the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) were selected, including product market, labor market, financial system, market size, business dynamism, and innovation capability. Moreover, to analyze a country’s economic strength, we used gross national income (GNI) per capita expressed in US dollars, converted using purchasing power parities (PPP) as provided by the World Bank.
Finally, the level of personal taxation was collected from multiple sources, referring to the highest personal income tax bracket at the national level. The final country score applies a weight of 50% to the GCI pillar’s average score and 25% to each of the other two indicators.
Quality of Life Index
The Quality of Living Index looks at the overall quality of life a country offers. The focus is on aspects that enhance the attractiveness of countries as a primary place of residence for retirees, expats, digital nomads, and others seeking desirable living conditions abroad.
To assess a country’s business environment, six pillars from the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) were selected, including product market, labor market, financial system, market size, business dynamism, and innovation capability. Moreover, to analyze a country’s economic strength, we used gross national income (GNI) per capita expressed in US dollars, converted using purchasing power parities (PPP) as provided by the World Bank.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the methodology behind the Global Passport Index provides a comprehensive and objective framework for assessing the strength and mobility of passports worldwide. By considering factors such as visa-free access, travel freedom, and global mobility opportunities, the index offers valuable insights for individuals and governments alike. The data-driven approach ensures that the rankings are based on solid metrics, enabling users to make informed decisions about travel, residency, and investment migration strategies. Overall, the methodology underscores the importance of passport strength as a key factor in the global mobility landscape.
Disclaimer: Any views presented here are solely of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Global Citizen Solutions or any institutions with which the authors are or may have been affiliated.
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The Global Passport Index evaluates passports based on a combination of factors including visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to other countries, global mobility scores, and overall travel freedom. Some versions of the index may also consider quality-of-life metrics, dual citizenship opportunities, and taxation implications for a more holistic ranking.
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